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Scottish Sun
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
British snooker star benefits from Zhao Xintong's controversial World Championship win after rivals blasted rules
Zhao's ban meant that he was forced to compete as an amateur at the Crucible ZHAO ABOUT THAT British snooker star benefits from Zhao Xintong's controversial World Championship win after rivals blasted rules Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BRITISH snooker star has inadvertently benefited from Zhao Xintong's historic World Championship win. Dylan Emery has regained his pro tour card for the next two seasons after finishing behind Zhao in the amateur Q Tour Europe Rankings. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Zhao Xintong's World Championship win has helped out a British snooker player 2 Welsh cueist Dylan Emery has regained his tour card after finishing behind Zhao on the Q Tour Credit: Getty The 24-year-old cueist from Caerphilly has now earned back his professional stripes after being relegated from the tour in 2024. That's because Emery now takes World Champion Zhao's pro ticket from this season's Q Tour rankings. As Zhao broke into the world's top 64 from his Crucible win, that becomes his method of qualifying for next season's pro circuit. So his two-year ticket via the Q Tour rankings becomes vacant for Emery. An official WTA statement read: "With overall Q Tour Europe winner Zhao Xintong having subsequently gone on to regain his place as a top 64 player following his historic success at the recent World Championship. "In accordance with the Q Tour entry conditions, which state that the top ranked eligible player will receive a World Snooker Tour card, Emery will therefore take the place." Following the end of his 20 month ban for match-fixing, Zhao returned to snooker's seconding circuit, in a bid to win promotion back to the main tour. The Chinese star won the Q Tour comfortably with an event to spare and was invited to take part in the World Championships. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS And Zhao created in history in Sheffield, becoming the first Asian winner of the sport's showpiece event. The first amateur, and only the third qualifier to conquer the Crucible, Zhao won a record nine matches across en route to glory. Emotional Zhao Xintong shares touching moment with rarely-seen girlfriend after World Snooker Championship triumph Due to his winning streak coming at snooker's richest event, the prize money Zhao won had a big impact on his world ranking status. As a non-tour card holder until next season, Zhao didn't have a ranking at the start of the Championship, but he earned enough money to break into the world's top 64. He was therefore able to keep his ranking points going into next season, instead of starting on zero. But, in going all the way at the Crucible, Zhao pocketed the first prize of £500,000, and moved up to No.11 in the world rankings. The situation is similar to that of Luke Littler when he reached the final of the 2023/24 World Darts Championship as an amateur. Even though Emery can thank Zhao for taking the crown, many snooker players thought the 28-year-old should have been banned from playing at the World Champs. Zhao previously admitted being party to another player fixing two matches while betting on matches himself. That saw him handed a 30-month global ban which was later reduced to 20. However, the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA) chose to stick with the original 30-month ban, meaning he will not be able to return to playing in his homeland until July. And former world champ Shaun Murphy lashed out at the decision. Murphy said: "Asking the question, how can a player who is still banned by their own governing body be seen and be deemed to be in good standing? "It seemed fairly black and white to most of us that he wasn't in good standing with his national governing body. Emery enjoyed a fantastic Q Tour campaign, winning event two in Sofia, Bulgaria, reaching the final of event seven in Walsall and making two further semi-finals.
The Sun
12-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
British snooker star benefits from Zhao Xintong's controversial World Championship win after rivals blasted rules
A BRITISH snooker star has inadvertently benefited from Zhao Xintong's historic World Championship win. Dylan Emery has regained his pro tour card for the next two seasons after finishing behind Zhao in the amateur Q Tour Europe Rankings. 2 2 The 24-year-old cueist from Caerphilly has now earned back his professional stripes after being relegated from the tour in 2024. That's because Emery now takes World Champion Zhao's pro ticket from this season's Q Tour rankings. As Zhao broke into the world's top 64 from his Crucible win, that becomes his method of qualifying for next season's pro circuit. So his two-year ticket via the Q Tour rankings becomes vacant for Emery. An official WTA statement read: "With overall Q Tour Europe winner Zhao Xintong having subsequently gone on to regain his place as a top 64 player following his historic success at the recent World Championship. "In accordance with the Q Tour entry conditions, which state that the top ranked eligible player will receive a World Snooker Tour card, Emery will therefore take the place." Following the end of his 20 month ban for match-fixing, Zhao returned to snooker's seconding circuit, in a bid to win promotion back to the main tour. The Chinese star won the Q Tour comfortably with an event to spare and was invited to take part in the World Championships. And Zhao created in history in Sheffield, becoming the first Asian winner of the sport's showpiece event. The first amateur, and only the third qualifier to conquer the Crucible, Zhao won a record nine matches across en route to glory. Emotional Zhao Xintong shares touching moment with rarely-seen girlfriend after World Snooker Championship triumph Due to his winning streak coming at snooker's richest event, the prize money Zhao won had a big impact on his world ranking status. As a non-tour card holder until next season, Zhao didn't have a ranking at the start of the Championship, but he earned enough money to break into the world's top 64. He was therefore able to keep his ranking points going into next season, instead of starting on zero. But, in going all the way at the Crucible, Zhao pocketed the first prize of £500,000, and moved up to No.11 in the world rankings. The situation is similar to that of Luke Littler when he reached the final of the 2023/24 World Darts Championship as an amateur. Even though Emery can thank Zhao for taking the crown, many snooker players thought the 28-year-old should have been banned from playing at the World Champs. Zhao previously admitted being party to another player fixing two matches while betting on matches himself. That saw him handed a 30-month global ban which was later reduced to 20. However, the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA) chose to stick with the original 30-month ban, meaning he will not be able to return to playing in his homeland until July. And former world champ Shaun Murphy lashed out at the decision. Murphy said: "Asking the question, how can a player who is still banned by their own governing body be seen and be deemed to be in good standing? "It seemed fairly black and white to most of us that he wasn't in good standing with his national governing body. Emery enjoyed a fantastic Q Tour campaign, winning event two in Sofia, Bulgaria, reaching the final of event seven in Walsall and making two further semi-finals.
The Irish Sun
12-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
British snooker star benefits from Zhao Xintong's controversial World Championship win after rivals blasted rules
A BRITISH snooker star has inadvertently benefited from Zhao Xintong's historic World Championship win. Dylan Emery has regained his pro tour card for the next two seasons after finishing behind Europe Rankings. 2 Zhao Xintong's World Championship win has helped out a British snooker player 2 Welsh cueist Dylan Emery has regained his tour card after finishing behind Zhao on the Q Tour Credit: Getty The 24-year-old cueist from Caerphilly has now earned back his professional stripes after being relegated from the tour in 2024. That's because Emery now takes World Champion Zhao's pro ticket from this season's Q Tour rankings. As Zhao broke into the next season's pro circuit. So his two-year ticket via the Q Tour rankings becomes vacant for Emery. READ MORE SNOOKER NEWS An official WTA statement read: "With overall Q Tour Europe winner Zhao Xintong having subsequently gone on to regain his place as a top 64 player following his historic success at the recent World Championship. "In accordance with the Q Tour entry conditions, which state that the top ranked eligible player will receive a World Snooker Tour card, Emery will therefore take the place." Following The Chinese star won the Q Tour comfortably with an event to spare and was invited to take part in the World Championships. Most read in Snooker CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS And Zhao created in history in Sheffield , becoming the The first amateur, and only the third qualifier to conquer the Crucible, Zhao won a record nine matches across en route to glory. Emotional Zhao Xintong shares touching moment with rarely-seen girlfriend after World Snooker Championship triumph Due to his winning streak coming at snooker's richest event, the prize money Zhao won had a big impact on his world ranking status. As a non-tour card holder until next season, money to break into the world's top 64. He was therefore able to keep his ranking points going into next season, instead of starting on zero. But, in going all the way at the Crucible, Zhao pocketed the first prize of £500,000, and moved up to No.11 in the world rankings. The situation is similar to that of Darts Championship as an amateur. Even though Emery can thank Zhao for taking the crown, many snooker players thought the Zhao previously admitted being party to another player fixing two matches while betting on matches himself. That saw him handed a 30-month global ban which was later reduced to 20. However, the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA) chose to stick with the original 30-month ban, meaning he will not be able to return to playing in his homeland until July. And former world champ Shaun Murphy lashed out at the decision. Murphy said: "Asking the question, how can a player who is still banned by their own governing body be seen and be deemed to be in good standing? "It seemed fairly black and white to most of us that he wasn't in good standing with his national governing body. Emery enjoyed a fantastic Q Tour campaign, winning event two in Sofia, Bulgaria, reaching the final of event seven in Walsall and making two further semi-finals. World Snooker Championship 2025 THE World Snooker Championship has concluded after a thrilling final! Follow all the reaction with SunSport's live blog of the World Snooker Championship Latest News Snooker Explained FULL results for 2025 How much prize money was won? Who were the BBC snooker presenters and pundits? What is on Zhao Xintong's bow tie?
Irish Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Snooker World champion Zhao Xintong to lose almost half of €600k prize money
Chinese snooker star Zhao Xintong is set to lose almost half of his £500,000 (€600k) winnings after becoming Snooker World Champion. The 28-year-old breezed to final victory against legend Mark Williams, becoming not only the first Chinese player to win the trophy, but also the first amateur competitor to be crowned world champion. For his efforts, Zhao earned a substantial £500,000 (€600k) for winning the most prestigious competition in the game. However, he won't take home all of that money. Known as The Cyclone, he moved to Sheffield in 2016, and Zhao Xintong Snooker Ltd is registered at a UK address on Companies House, meaning the world champion will be subject to tax regulations. It's estimated that a significant portion of Zhao's winnings will go to HMRC. It's believed that he will have to pay £204,299 in tax on his prize money, with an additional £19,611 deducted for National Insurance contributions, reports Wales Online. This means almost half of Zhao's winnings will be taken from him, with the player taking home just 55.2% of the total prize money he will be awarded. Nonetheless, that take-home is considerable and will add to his already impressive career earnings. Prior to the tournament, it was estimated that he was worth around £1.5m, a figure bound to increase significantly following this victory. BBC presenter Hazel Irvine stated that the TV audience in his native China for his final with Williams was approximately 300million people. He is expected to become a household name following his remarkable win at the Crucible. The triumph in Sheffield marks Zhao's triumphant comeback after a 20-month ban from the sport. In January 2023, Zhao's rising career came to a sudden halt due to a suspension amidst a thorough match-fixing investigation. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) found him guilty of involvement in manipulating matches and gambling incidents spanning from 2019 to 2022, although they cleared him of fixing his own games. Having accepted the allegations and completed the minimum ban among the 10 penalised Chinese players, Zhao burst back onto the scene in September 2024. He excelled on the Q Tour, claiming a number of wins and compiling two maximum breaks, paving his return to the pinnacle of professional snooker. Reflecting on the forced break, Zhao opened up to the BBC: "Two years ago I made a little mistake. I know how important snooker is to me. These two years have been very long for me, I've practised every day." Pro Billiards and Snooker Association chair Jason Ferguson spoke over the weekend about Zhao's ascent back to top-tier snooker. "It's important to talk about and he has served his time and he has paid his fine and actually he has followed a route of trying to work his way back in," Ferguson said. "I think people will always refer to it but when you're young you might get pulled into things. But there is a route back and there is a route to return. From our point of view, he has done the right thing from day one and is welcomed back into the sport and will be a professional player again at the end of this World Championship."
The Irish Sun
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Shaun Murphy reveals snooker stars wanted Zhao Xintong BANNED from World Champs and is yet to get ‘satisfactory answer'
SNOOKER stars were left baffled as to why Zhao Xintong was allowed to play at the World Championship. The Chinese star, 28, won the title for the first time at the Crucible this year, but remains banned in China. 2 Zhao Xintong won the 2025 World Snooker Championship Credit: Rex 2 Shaun Murphy revealed he and a host of other players wanted Zhao banned Credit: Getty Zhao previously admitted being party to another player fixing two matches while betting on matches himself. That saw him handed a 30-month global ban which was later reduced to 20. However, the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA) chose to stick with the original 30-month ban, meaning he will not be able to return to playing in his homeland until July. And 2005 champion Shaun Murphy revealed he asked why Zhao was allowed to compete. READ MORE ON ZHAO XINTONG The 42-year-old told "Asking the question, how can a player who is still banned by their own governing body be seen and be deemed to be in good standing? "And therefore be allowed to enter WPBSA events such as Q Tour – that was a question that was asked about ten months ago, before the start of the season that's just ended. "It seemed fairly black and white to most of us that he wasn't in good standing with his national governing body. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "There are lots of other players that this has and does, and will apply to. You can't just go around joining federations and tournaments as you see fit. "You have to be in good standing. The question we all asked was, how can a player who is still banned be deemed to be in good standing? Zhao Xintong's classy act towards Ronnie O'Sullivan revealed after knocking legend out of World Snooker Championship "I'm yet to hear a satisfactory answer from anyone at WPBSA Towers or the tour, so I don't know the answer." Zhao's ban meant that he was forced to qualify for World Snooker via the amateur Q Tour and compete as an amateur at the Crucible. But he showed that he was far from an ordinary 'amateur' with his demolition of He then went on to
